Puncture-repair needle



,(No Model.)

E. P.'MOALLISTER. PUNGTURE REPAIR NEEDLE.

No. 606,570. Patented June 28, 1898.

drawin To all whom it may concern.-

v drawn.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWYIN P. MCALLI STER, OF CLIFTON HEIGHTS, PENNSYLVANIA.

PUNCT-U RE-REPAIR NEEDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 1\To. 606,570, dated June 2 18 Application filed ly 22, 1897. Serial No. 645,518. (No model.) 7

Be it known that I, EDWIN P. McALLIsTER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Clifton Heights, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Puncture-Repair Needles, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and efficient device for effecting the plugging or repair-of punctures or incisions in flexible tubes, such as pneumatic tires of bicycles, rubber hose, or other flexible and puncturable tubular or hollow objects intended for holding or conveying air, water, or other fluid under pressure. This object I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying t, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a puncture-repair instrument'constructed in accordance With my invention. 'Figs. 2 and 3 are views illustrating the manner in which the instrument is intended to be used. Fig. 4 is part of the instrument. Fig. 61s a side view of the endof the same, and Fig. 7 is a side view illustrating amodification.

1 represents a needle or stem preferably cylindrical as to its body and having at the outer end a handle 2, said needle being fiatslot or groove 7, while in the inner. end of the sleeve is formed a'surface notch or recess 9, as shown in: Fig. 1.

Projecting from one side of the stem of the needle 1 is a lug or pin 10, which, when the Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view of ing in the notch 9, and the sleeve being pressed toward the lug by means of a coiled spring 11, interposed between said sleeve and the end of the handle 2, so that the end of the sleeve is maintained firmly in contact with the lug and accidental turning of the sleeve is prevented by the engagementof said lug with the notch 9. Y

In order to repaira puncture, ordinary rubber bands are employed, these bands being held in a stretched condition between the notched inner end of the needle 1 and the wings of the sleeve 5,the degree of attenuation of the band being governed by the circumstances of the particularcase and the character of the band employed. For instance, a band may extend directly from the forked inner end of the needle to one of the wings of the sleeve 5 with a minimum amount of stretch,

or one loop, a band may be passed over one wing of the sleeve 5, the central portion of the hand then passed through thefork of the nee dle, and the other loop of the band applied to the opposite wing of thesleeve 5, or where a, further degree of attenuation is desired one loop of the band may be applied to the forked inner end of the needle, the band then passed down around oneof the wings 6, thence backward to and through the fork of the needle, and thence down tothe other wing of said sleeve, or a stillfurther degree of attennation may be efiected by applying one loop of the band to one of the wings 6, then passingcthe hand through theforked inner end of the needle, thence down to and around the other'wing 6, thence back to and through the fork of the needle, and thence down to the 'wing 6,to which the first end has been applied.

needle 1, so as to bringits slot 7 into line with the lug 10, whereupon the resiliency of the bands will immediately cause the sleeve 5 to move forwardly on the stemof the needle until its movement is arrested by the knob 4c, the position of the latterin respect to the outer surface of the tube indicating to the user the extent to which the rubber bands have been inserted into the tube and providing fora uniform contraction of each band 011 the release of the sleeve 5 from the retaining controlof the lug 10. The bands having been inserted in this way and permitted to expand after-insertion, the outer ends of the bands are removed from the wings 6 of the sleeve 5 and the needle is withdrawn, the tapered shape of the inserted portion of the needle facilitating this withdrawal and the V-sha-ped notch or fork formed in the inner end of the needle insuring the clean withd rawal of the same from the inner ends of the bands and preventing the drawing up of said inner ends toward the tube. As the needle is withdrawn, the bands, owing to their resiliency, close in upon each other, and the pn 11eture, which has been expanded by insertion of the needle, resumes its former dimensions, thus forcing the cemented bands closely together and effectually plugging the opening, as shown in Fig. 4. The outer projecting portions of the band maybe then cut off, and for additional security cement may be spread over the cut ends of the bands.

By means of the instrument above described I am enabled to effect the ready and therough repair of punctures varyingin size from that produced by a pin or tack to a knife-slit half an inch long or an opening three-eighths of an inch in diameter, there being a large plug of cemented bands on the inside of the tube and the plug being so tight as to effectually resist heavy internal pressure whether of air, water, or other fluid.

While I prefer in all cases to construct the instrument in the manner shown in the drawings, various modifications of the same are possible within the scope of my invention. Forinstance, instead of providing the sleeve 5 with a longitudinal slot or groove for the passage of a fixed lug on the stem of the needie 1 the sleeve may be retained in its retracted position by means of a pin 12, passing through a transverse openingin said stem, as shown in Fig. 7, this pin being withdrawn when it is desired to release the sleeve, and in this case also the spring 11 may be omitted. The sleeve 5 may also have but one projecting wing instead of two, and the stop knob or collar t may be adjustable on the stem of the needle, if desired, a set-screw 13, such as shown in Fig. 1, or other equivalent means being employed to secure the knob in position after adjustment.

liaving thus described my invention, I

claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A puncture-repair needle comprising a stem constructed at the inner end for entering the puncture in the tube and having, some distance from said in nerend, a stop knob or collar, in combination with a winged sleeve adapted to slide on the stem of the needle, and means for retaining said winged sleeve in its retracted position.

2. A puncture-repair needle consisting of a stem having a flattened and notched inner end, astopknob or collar some distance therefrom, a winged sleeve free to slide on said stem, and provision for retaining said winged sleeve in its retracted position.

A puncture-repair needle consisting of a stem constructed at the inner end for entering the puncture in the tube and for receiving and retaining a rubber band or bands, a winged sleeve free to slide on said stem and having a longitudinal slot or groove therethrough, and a ing or pin projecting from the stem and serving by engagement with the inner end of the sleeve to retain the same in its retracted position, or, when brought into line with the groove, permitting the forward movement of the sleeve.

4. A puncture-repair needle consisting of a stem constructed at the inner end for entering the puncture in the tube, and for receiving and retaining a rubber band or bands, a winged sleeve free to slide on said stem and having a longitudinal slot or groove therethrough, and a notch in its inner end, and a pin or lug projecting from the stem and adapted to occupy the notch in the sleeve'wheu the same is retracted, and to permit the forward movement of the sleeve when its slot or groove is brought into line with the pin.

5. A puncture-repair needle consisting of a stem constructed at the inner end for entering the puncture in the tube and for the reception and retention of a rubber band or bands, a winged sleeve free to slide on said stem and having a longitudinal slot or groove therethrough, a pin or lug projecting from said stem and serving by its contact with the inner end of the sleeve to retain the same in its retracted position, and a spring acting upon said sleeve and serving to press the same against said lug or pin.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWIN I. MCALLISTER.

Vitnesses:

J. E. Bownns, S. l OUsEv.

IIO 

